Last Thursday (January 8), I received my infusion. I’m continuing Trudolvy, which is a chemotherapy wrapped in antibodies that target the protein on cancer cells.
Soon after I arrived for my 9 am appointment, everyone
was herded down to the basement due to a tornado warning. There we sat for the
next 40 minutes or so until the danger passed. Even with the delayed start, I
was done with my treatment by 1:30 pm.
The strange brain fog feeling plus fatigue stayed for a
good part of the day, making it hard to think clearly. More fatigue followed on
Friday and Saturday, then shakiness on Sunday. Yesterday (Monday) and today
have been better. I hope I can drive tomorrow to have my labs done locally,
then stop by Hopestone to pick up my meals for the week and visit with a friend
who volunteers there. Thankfully, my son is always available to chauffeur me
around town as needed. Thursday will be another infusion, and we’ll start the side
effects again.
Acceptance, I find, goes a long way towards dealing
with the side effects from my treatment regimen. Bemoaning the fact that I’m
not up to par only makes things worse. I’m grateful that the side effects I’ve
experienced since beginning treatment in October have been much milder than the
first two times I had cancer. I’ve learned to adjust my activities (or lack
thereof!) each day and am getting a clearer sense of when I can be up and
around, when I need to relax in my recliner, and when I need to go lie down for
an hour or so.
The one thing I can count on is starting each day with
prayer and meditating on a few verses. Right now, I am slowly working my way
through Ephesians. That time grounds me and reminds me that God is in control.
I don’t need to worry because whether in life or in death, Jesus is my outcome!
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